Geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production

Abstract

A geothermally powered copper production system includes a geothermal system with a wellbore extending from a surface into an underground magma reservoir. A hopper receives a copper oxide ore that is crushed and provided to a leach heap to produce a copper-rich pregnant leach solution. The pregnant leach solution is provided to a settler that is heated by a heat transfer fluid heated by the geothermal system, and a product of the settler is used to prepare a copper product. A hopper receives a copper sulfide ore that is crushed and provided to a flotation tank. The flotation tank is heated by a heat transfer fluid heated by the geothermal system, and a product of the flotation tank is used to prepare a copper product.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system, comprising:
 a geothermal system comprising a wellbore extending from a surface into an underground magma reservoir, the wellbore configured to heat a heat transfer fluid via heat transfer with the underground magma reservoir, thereby forming heated heat transfer fluid;   a settler comprising a vessel configured to:
 receive a leach solution; and 
 heat the received leach solution via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby producing a copper solution, wherein the copper solution comprises copper and one or more impurities; 
   an electrolytic smelter comprising a vessel configured to:
 receive at least a portion of the copper solution produced by the settler; 
 maintain, using a temperature control system, temperature in a smelting bath within a predefined temperature range; and 
 conduct electrical current through the received copper solution via electricity generated using the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby causing a copper coating to form; and 
   a foundry comprising a vessel configured to:
 receive at least a portion of the copper coating produced by the electrolytic smelter; 
 heat the received copper coating at least in part via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby causing the copper coating to melt and become molten copper; and 
 cast the molten copper to form a copper product. 
   
     
     
         2 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , further comprising a leaching system configured to process a copper oxide ore to extract the copper to produce the leach solution, the leaching system comprising:
 a hopper comprising a vessel configured to receive the copper oxide ore and direct the received copper oxide ore through a crusher;   the crusher configured to crush at least a portion of the copper oxide ore directed therethrough, thereby forming a crushed copper oxide ore;   a sprinkler configured to apply leaching reagents onto the crushed copper oxide ore; and   a leach heap comprising a collection area configured to:
 receive at least a portion of the crushed copper oxide ore and the leaching reagents; 
 facilitate a chemical reaction between the received portion of the crushed copper oxide ore and the leaching reagents to produce the leach solution; 
 facilitate percolation of the leach solution through the crushed copper oxide ore in a gravity-driven flow; and 
 collect the leach solution in a collection ditch. 
   
     
     
         3 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , wherein the settler further comprises:
 one or more heat exchangers configured to heat the leach solution via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby causing solvent extraction of copper ion from the leach solution;   a mixer configured to agitate the leach solution, thereby causing separation of the copper solution and a solvent; and   an impurities reservoir positioned within or proximate to the settler and configured to receive at least a portion of the impurities produced in the settler.   
     
     
         4 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrolytic smelter further comprises:
 one or more heat exchangers configured to heat the copper solution, if a temperature of the copper solution is less than a minimum temperature threshold, via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid;   one or more circulating coolers configured to cool the copper solution, if the temperature of the copper solution exceeds a maximum temperature threshold, via heat transfer with a cooling fluid; and   a cathode and an anode configured to conduct the electricity through the copper solution, thereby forming the copper coating.   
     
     
         5 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more geothermally powered motors configured to use the heated heat transfer fluid to perform mechanical operations of the geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system, wherein the one or more geothermally powered motors are configured to perform one or more of:
 moving a copper oxide ore through a hopper;   rotating a crusher;   pumping leaching reagents through one or more sprinklers; and   rotating a mixer in the settler.   
     
     
         6 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more heat exchangers configured to circulate the heated heat transfer fluid to perform operations of the geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system, wherein the one or more heat exchangers are configured to perform one or more of:
 heating the settler;   heating the electrolytic smelter; and   heating the foundry.   
     
     
         7 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more turbines configured to use the heated heat transfer fluid to generate the electricity, wherein the generated electricity provides the electrical current between a cathode and an anode in the electrolytic smelter. 
     
     
         8 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 1 , further comprising an absorption chiller configured to:
 receive the heat transfer fluid heated by the geothermal system;   generate a cooling fluid using the received heat transfer fluid; and   provide the cooling fluid to one or more processes requiring cooling.   
     
     
         9 . The geothermally powered hydrometallurgical copper production system of  claim 8 , further comprising a condenser configured to:
 receive the cooling fluid; and   condense the heat transfer fluid via heat transfer with the received cooling fluid before the heat transfer fluid is returned to the wellbore of the geothermal system.   
     
     
         10 . A method, comprising:
 heating, using a geothermal system comprising a wellbore extending from a surface into an underground magma reservoir, a heat transfer fluid via heat transfer with the underground magma reservoir, thereby forming heated heat transfer fluid;   receiving, by a settler, a leach solution;   heating, by the settler, the received leach solution via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby producing a copper solution and impurities;   receiving, by an electrolytic smelter, at least a portion of the copper solution produced by the settler;   maintaining, using a temperature control system, temperature in a smelting bath within a predefined temperature range;   conducting, by the electrolytic smelter, electrical current through the received copper solution via electricity generated using the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby causing a copper coating to form;   receiving, by a foundry, the copper coating produced by the electrolytic smelter;   heating, by the foundry, the received copper coating via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby causing the copper coating to melt to become molten copper; and   casting, by the foundry, the molten copper to form a copper product.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein producing the leach solution further comprises:
 directing, using a hopper, a copper oxide ore through a crusher;   crushing, using the crusher, at least a portion of the copper oxide ore directed therethrough, thereby forming crushed copper oxide ore;   receiving, by a leach heap, at least a portion of the crushed copper oxide ore;   distributing, by a sprinkler, leaching reagents onto the leach heap to cause a leaching reaction to extract copper from the crushed copper oxide ore;   producing, by the leaching reaction, the leach solution; and   collecting, by a collection ditch, the leach solution.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein producing, by the settler, the copper solution comprises:
 heating, by one or more heat exchangers, the leach solution via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid, thereby causing solvent extraction of copper ions from the leach solution;   agitating, by a mixer, the leach solution, thereby causing separation of the copper solution and a solvent; and   directing at least a portion of the impurities produced in the settler to an impurities reservoir positioned within or proximate to the settler.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising using one or more geothermally powered motors powered by the heated heat transfer fluid, wherein the one or more geothermally powered motors are configured to perform one or more of:
 moving a copper oxide ore through a hopper;   rotating a crusher;   pumping leaching reagents through one or more sprinklers;   rotating a mixer in the settler;   pumping heated heat transfer fluids used to heat system components; and   pumping cooling fluids used to cool the system components.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising causing one or more heat exchangers to use the heated heat transfer fluid to heat a fluid, thereby producing a heated fluid, wherein the heated fluid supplies heat for one or more of:
 heating the settler;   heating the electrolytic smelter; and   heating the foundry.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein producing the copper coating comprises:
 heating, by one or more heat exchangers positioned within or proximate to the electrolytic smelter, the copper solution, if a temperature of the copper solution is less than a minimum temperature threshold, via heat transfer with the heated heat transfer fluid;   cooling, by one or more circulating coolers positioned within or proximate to the electrolytic smelter, the copper solution, if the temperature of the copper solution exceeds a maximum temperature threshold, via heat transfer with a cooling fluid; and   conducting, by a cathode and an anode, the electricity in the copper solution, thereby forming the copper coating.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising causing one or more turbines to use the heated heat transfer fluid to generate the electricity, wherein the generated electricity provides the electrical current between a cathode and an anode in the electrolytic smelter. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising generating a cooling fluid:
 receiving, by an absorption chiller, the heat transfer fluid heated by the geothermal system;   generating, by the absorption chiller, the cooling fluid using the received heat transfer fluid; and   providing the cooling fluid to one or more processes requiring cooling.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 receiving, by a condenser, the cooling fluid; and   condensing, by the condenser, the heat transfer fluid via heat transfer with the received cooling fluid before the heat transfer fluid is returned to the wellbore of the geothermal system.